Mudbloods and Murmurs
by Lemon Collie
Summary: FORMERLY KNOWN AS SOMETHING CLEVER! Mudblood x Slytherin x Snape   Voldemort? The world's most awesome fanfic. EVER. Vera learns the meaning of life, magic, and love the hard way. SS&OFC. Really, it isn't your average OFC. INCOMPLETE. Romance eventually.
1. Vera Ellis

**HOLA!  
HI THERE!**

HEY!  
LISTEN TO ME!  
Before you get all, "Ew OFC gross", or you dislike it at all, PLEASE, just give it a try, and PLEASE just give it a shot. At least read chapter two also. I'm telling you. Please give it a try :D The first chapters a bit choppy, because it's just introductory. Think of them as like, "flashes". Trust me, it isn't this way all the time. Please just stick with me though!  
You good samaritan, you ;D

Anyways, don't own anybody in this story except Vera and her mum and sister.

I LOVE YOU.

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This summer had been hot. The hottest it had been in a very, very long time. The grass on the lawns had grown stiff and shriveled in a manner which many could refer to as _dead._ School had been let out for some time now, and the heat outside proved daunting to most of the children in the neighborhood. Many sat inside on their tiny bottoms, watching TV for hours on end waiting for their parents to get home, only to watch some more brain-sizzling television until bed. Others went cross country on extended visits to old relatives. A break for their parents. The unlucky ones got sent to camp.

Yes, the sidewalk outside of 1700 Winging Rd. was sizzling hot enough to fry a fish, or the pair of little nine year old toes which scattered quickly down it towards an unknown destiny.

"Judith! Judith! Wait for me!", the owner of these toes shrieked at her older sister, who was meters ahead of the little one. She rolled her eyes at her group of teenage cronies. The lot of them was wearing semi-revealing bikinis in an attempt at being _sexy _with their fourteen year old summer bodies. The little sister tagging along kind of threw off this look though.

"Christ, Jude, can't you tell her to bugger off or something?? Doesn't she realize the big kids do NOT want her company?" a snotty nosed red haired girl asked impatiently, rolling her eyes at the so-called Jude. The only reply she got was an annoyed and impatient look.

"Hi you guys!" the little girl said happily. Her large, dark brown eyes and dark brown curls bore a stark contrast to her older sister, who was, on the other hand, a blonde haired, blue eyed beauty. Not to mention the little girl wore a lime-green one piece and the elder bore a black two piece.

The group of teenage girls stuck their nose up at the little girl as the cluster continued on, making sure to ignore her on their way to the community swimming pool.

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The clock had struck 5 o'clock when a womanish cry erupted from inside 1700 Winging Rd.

An ambulance was pulled up at the pool entrance, and a bit of soaking wet red curls was all that was seen from the stretcher that was being hauled into the vehicle. A policeman had been assigned to block off the scene from the ever-growing crowd that began to surround the area.

Mrs. Ellis frantically scanned her eyes across the area, looking for her two young girls that had been at the pool at the time. Nobody had given her any insight on the situation, so like any other parent, she was going nutters looking for the little ones.

"Judith?! JUDITH!? Where is my Judith?!" her cries were suddenly stoppered when a pair of little arms flung themselves around Mrs. Ellis's midsection. Mrs. Ellis gasped as she looked down at her youngest, Vera.

"Oh Vera! I've been looking for you and your sister! Where is Judith?! Is she hurt??" the frantic mother asked the little girl. She paid no attention to the shocked look of abandonment on the little brunette's face, as her eyes watered up in despair.

"MAMA!" a shrill voice came from behind Mrs. Ellis. The mother spun around, and her features relaxed at the sight of the eldest. They grasped each other in hugs and Judith was covered in kisses.

"I thought that was you! I was so scared when Ms. Williams phoned me! Oh God I'm so glad you're safe!" She said, pulling her older daughter into another affectionate hug. She had forgotten all about little Vera, standing behind the two of them, looking as though she had just been slapped.

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_"Hello._

_I know I haven't written anything in here in ages, but I had another one of those dreams._

_It was the same place, same time, and same thing all over again. I'm standing at the poolside, staring into the deep end. One of Judith's friends is giggling with Judith, and they're looking at me. It hurts me to see Jude laughing at me like that, but I know she's just doing it because her friends there. Next thing I know, I feel like I'm slipping into the deep end, but I look up and see that mean red head pushing me into the pool. I stare at her face and something inside me clicks, and instead of her laughing like always, she's falling in the pool with me._

_I can't swim, and I know she can. I'm scared to death and I hold onto the sides, but she's not holding onto anything. I'm still mad about what happened, and I feel my heart jump into my throat and my mind racing, and I'm hoping she drowns. She looks at me, her eyes wide, and she starts flailing. The gurgling sound I hear coming out of her mouth sickens me, but I do nothing to help her, and I just watch. Judith starts to scream and pulls me out of the pool, all the while staring, horrified at her friend. I feel bad for what happens next... but deep down something that feels like satisfaction and pleasure is boiling inside me._

_Her head fully submerges under water, and she looks as though she's being pulled down to the bottom of the three meter deep end. We're the only ones here, and I glare up at Judith. Her eyes go blank as she watches, as if she's mesmerized. The red head stops thrashing._

_Next thing I know, I'm watching as the red head is pulled away and Mama is hugging Judith, thankful that she is alive. I guess she just forgets about me."_

The once little girl closed her diary, and stared at the ceiling of her small, clustered bedroom. It's been two years since that strange day, and since then, Vera's not quite been the same. She knows something else had happened that day. That red head girl had swam there plenty times before... something else had caused her death. Vera shuddered at the thought of it being her fault, knowing full well she had been hoping for what had happened, then blocked out that thought by claiming she hadn't been within reach of the red head.

Something inside her told her otherwise though. There was something different about her, and she had been so scared of it that she never told anybody about what really happened that day.

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A startling knock the next day on the Ellis's front door woke up the hazy afternoon from its lovely daydream. The knock echoed again, and the bustling housewife Mrs. Ellis called out a 'Hold on!' and made her way to answer. The startling knock reflected a startling looking man smiling kindly at her right in the eyes, through his half-moon spectacles. Mrs. Ellis jumped at such a weird sight. The man had a wizened (HA!) face and a long, startling beard. Let's not forget the purple-shaded "bath robes" also.

"Umm... hello! I take it you're one of those crooked missionaries? The Williams's house is right down there, just the next house over..." she motioned to her neighbors, an awkward smile plastered on her lips. The old man chuckled at her comment, before letting himself in.

"Ah yes. Mrs. Ellis! Just the person I wanted to see!" The old, peculiar man's eyes twinkled as he grinned down at her, and he held out his hand for her to shake. "My name is Albus Dumbledore. Mind calling your daughter down? The three of us have something very spectacular to discuss!"

The older woman stared at the man, down right confused. Something inside her told her she should be afraid that this intruder has entered her household... but something else made her awfully curious at what this odd old man had to say. Something about him made her feel... joyous!

She robotically turned to stare at the old wooden staircase, and opened her mouth to call for Judith. Before she could make a noise, the peculiar old man 'tut tutted' at her.

"No no, Mary! The other one! Little Vera!" he said, chuckling. Little did Mrs. Ellis know, but Vera had been being observed for the past few months (as was with any muggle-born new comer). The mother stared at him, shell shocked. Who honestly in their right mind would call for _Vera_?

"Um... oh... alright then. VERA!" she hollered up the staircase, a little strangely. The old man rocked in place with the utmost serene look on his face. His eyebrows raised and his wrinkled features broke into a wide, ear-to-ear grin as the dark haired, dark eyed little girl came trampling down the stairs.

"Yes Mama?!" The little girl asking, before abruptly stopping at the bottom step and staring at the curious old man. She took in everything about him, how strange he looked standing in purple star-patterned bath robes, in the middle of her living room.

"Ahhh! Vera!" the man chuckled as he looked at her, "I've got some great news! Some great news for the both of you!" he exclaimed, before beckoning them over to their own couch, to sit and listen. Vera looked from her mother, to the strange man, then back at her mother before taking a seat on the couch. Mrs. Ellis followed suit. The two of them stared intently at Albus Dumbledore, apparently at a loss for words. He broke out into another friendly smile before clearing his voice.

"Vera Ellis, my name is Albus Dumbledore. I've come here today to inform you, and invite, if you will, to something very extraordinary that most people your age," he turned his gaze to Mrs. Ellis, "or yours, have never seen. Vera, have you ever noticed anything different apart from yourself and other kids... have you ever noticed that you could do certain things which other... _people _could not?"

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Mrs. Ellis, Judith, and eleven year old Vera huddled into their cab after loading bundles of Vera's new "school" supplies, clothing, and belongings, suitcased tightly, into the trunk. It had been a hands-down agreement. Vera was going to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Dumbledore had absolutely no problem persuading Mrs. Ellis into allowing Vera to go to school, to study MAGIC. She merely nodded with the occasional "Of course", and "I agree", as Dumbledore schmoozed her about the importance of expanding the mind of the little one, learning to the extent of her knowledge, and such. Dumbledore had even agreed to show up the following week and tour Vera through Diagon Alley, helping her grab her school supplies as she went along.

_"Where are we going now, Mr. Dumbledore?" Vera asked excitedly, looking up at the elder headmaster. Everything that had happened so far had been wonderful. Things could only get better._

_"We're going to get your wand, Vera!" the old man replied. The younger girl's eyes widened at the thought. This was it. Her final proof that she was truly special, magical, and that most of all, she fit in perfectly._

_Ollivander and Dumbledore chatted quite some time, before the wand-master started giving her wands to try. He would tell her to flick the wand, before shaking his head to himself and hurrying on to grab the next one._

_"The wand chooses the witch. Be patient, Vera." Dumbledore reassured her._

_Eventually Ollivander brought up a peculiar looking, short light-toned wand._

_"Unicorn hair, Mahogany, 8 inches. Plucked the hair myself, Ms. Vera." Ollivander exclaimed cheerfully. The moment she ran her fingers over the slim base, she felt a slight tingle through her body and knew this was it. This was the one. Her mind felt bound to it as well, as she flicked it. Ollivander's expression was pure pleasure._

_"Beautiful! Beautiful wand to a beautiful little girl!" His features crinkled happily as he rang them up, and they paid._

_"Vera, you are going to grow into an extraordinary witch, I can already tell!" Ollivander hooted as the two left the shop._

Vera smiled to herself as she ran her small fingers over the kneazle kitten, Lior, which slept happily in her lap, purring ever so softly. Dumbledore was nice enough to purchase the small beauty from the pet store the moment Vera's eyes watered at the sight of it. The kitten took to her quickly, and pawed at her through the window, which was a sure sign it was meant to be. Kneazle's were talented felines.

As they entered the train station, the first thought which ran through Vera's mind was the immediate _'Platform 9¾????'_. Her, her mother, and her sister slowly pulled their luggage up to platform 9, before looking around for the sign which stated their destination. The only thing in between platform 9 and 10 was a large cement pillar. Otherwise, there was nothing.

"That's very funny, Mama! I don't recall seeing a 9¾! Where do you suppose such a thing would be??" Judith replied haughtily. As a younger girl, Vera had always admired Judith's beauty and popularity, and all the attention she got, but over the past year or so, Vera's older sister had become so utterly sour towards her that they really didn't get along much. Their relationship had grown especially negative after Judith found out about Hogwarts. She claimed she didn't believe it, but when Vera had been trotting towards her room later that night, Judith had cornered her and said some pretty mean things. Some of these things along the lines of "freak", and "failure", and "this was Mum's excuse to get rid of you once and for all." Since then, they hadn't communicated, other than the evil sneer that Vera got almost every moment of being home.

"Now Jude... Dumbledore said it wouldn't be quite noticeable at first... I know it's got to be here somewhere..." Mrs. Ellis's voice trailed off as she watched a large cluster of redhead's line up at the cement pillar. The mother of the bunch glanced around, and after believing nobody was paying much attention, bustled each child into the pillar, each of them disappearing one by one, until she coaxed the smallest ginger of all, a tiny little girl, and then went in herself.

"Well... that's a bit odd... I guess that's how I'd be going on then." Vera replied, before heading off towards the pillar. She paid no notice to the remaining redhead standing by with a dark haired boy beside him, both with a confused look on their faces as they watched her enter. Mrs. Ellis saw her off, without any notion to show that she would say goodbye. She turned back to sixteen year old Judith, before taking her hand and heading back towards the car.

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THANK YOU OH SO VERY MUCH.

I'm singing at the top of my lungs now because you've finished it. Now PLEASE! Just CLICK right down thereVVVVV You see it! Go to the next chapter :D!


	2. The Sorting Hat

So Emily says this sounds too American. God forbid I actually let it slip that I live in Florida :O

_Lemon Collie's head shot up in surprise when out of nowhere a quiet "POP!" broke the silence and JK Rowling stood before her. She slipped her h8r blockaz on before Rowling could say anything._

Yeah. That's right. I went there.

Anyways, if anybody "authentic" out there would like to edit my stories to sound more "in", feel free to contact me. I'm open to any suggestions.

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The excitement of going to Hogwarts wore off the moment Vera stepped into the train. Her eyes roamed the corridor, before she started on finding an empty cab. Much to her luck, the last one at the end of the train remained to be the only one abandoned. It never had occurred to her before how unskilled she was at starting conversations, much less with people she didn't know, who came from the most peculiar of all backgrounds.

Being the prepared little girl that she was though, and remembering how Dumbledore had told her the trip would take a long time, she had brought along a few muggle books. As she began to take out Great Expectations from the smaller of her suitcases, the door slid open to reveal a haughty, blonde haired boy with fair skin, followed by two rather large boys who looked more like beefy bodyguards than students. They looked a slight bit older than her.

"Crabbe. Load the stuff up, you're taller than me." the blonde haired boy said in the bossiest manner Vera had ever heard. Much bossier than Judith, at least. It was that moment he noticed her.

"Who the hell are you?" he replied, with an ugly smirk on his face. The Crabbe boy chuckled at the blonde's elitist attitude. The other boy sat down on one of the seats. The blonde just stood there with his arms crossed, glaring at her.

"Vera... Vera Ellis." She said meekly. She should have been used to this sort of attitude, seeing as she grew up with Judith and Judith's friends, but still, it never got old. The blonde paused in thought, before sneering.

"Ellis? I've never heard that before. I bet you're a mudblood!" he cackled. The other two laughed with him, as he spoke to them. "My father says Dumbledore's just been letting them in like sheep. Just as filthy and ignorant too, if you ask me." Vera crinkled her eyebrows together in confusion. She'd never heard the term 'mudblood' before.

"What's a mudblood?" she asked, and regretted it the moment it slipped out of her mouth. The three boys roared with malicious laughter, before the blonde pulled out his wand.

"A mudblood is exactly what it sounds like. Filthy blood. Comes from filthy people like you, and it taints the pureblood lineage. Pretty soon we're gonna have a bunch of little nothings running around with no magical talent in them whatsoever because of your kind. Now get the hell out of our cabin before I show you why purebloods are better!" The boy emphasized by pointing at the door. Vera, confused at the serious tone of his voice, and wondering what was so wrong, went to grab her suitcase, but was stopped by the boy screaming at her, "I SAID GET THE BLOODY HELL OUT!".

She fled, a bit frightened, back into the open hall, staring at the door to the compartment for a brief second before her stuff was thrown roughly against the opposite wall and the door was slid shut. It slammed with a loud thud and fell to the floor, still zippered up. A few moments later Lior, the small Kneazle kitten, was pushed out the cabin door, roughly, but not to the point of hurting it. It hissed at the hand and let out a mean growl, but otherwise did nothing else.

Vera stared at her belongings on the floor, before lifting Lior up and cradling her in her arms. As much as it hurt to be rejected like that, it wasn't that new to her. She'd seen worse. A few people had peaked their heads out of the cabins, but otherwise did nothing to help her. Just as she went to grab her suitcase though, a slightly chubby boy with curly dark hair approached her.

"Are you okay?" he asked, a bit meekly. She stopped what she was doing and looked at him. He had a large, ugly toad in his hands, and was petting it with two fingers. A bit disgusting in her mind, but whatever.

"Oh... I don't know... those boys in there kicked me out of the cabin..." she said, nodding towards the door before lifting her bag from off the ground. The boy bit his lip before taking a peak into the cabin window. The two chubby boys were laughing hysterically as the blonde one was holding a small book up, reading out loud the pages.

"I'm sorry about that. That's Malfoy. He's a real jerk to everybody... so don't feel bad. Do you wanna come to me and my friend's cabin? We've got food and stuff, if you're hungry, y'know...", the boy offered, pointing down the corridor. She shrugged, feeling a bit suspicious of this boy.

"Apparently, I'm a mudblood. Just warning you... in case you're gonna scream at me or something." Vera said quietly, as they started walking to the cabin. The boy let out an awkward laugh.

"There's nothing wrong with that at all. Malfoy and his _Slytherin_ pals like to think its bad thing, because of You-Know-Who, and stuff.", the boy said, emphasizing on the Slytherin part. It was obvious there was a hint of animosity toward the lot. He paused, and looked at the confused Vera with inquiring eyes, "What is your name, by the way?"

"Vera... its my first year here..." she said, before he held his arm out to the corridor, showing her into the cabin. A brunette with really bad frizz turn her attention to Vera as she walked in. The other seats held the same little red haired girl from platform 9¾, and one of the crankiest looking, ugliest cats Vera had ever seen. Apparently they had walked in on a conversation.

"Everybody, this is Vera. She's a first year... that's Hermione", the boy pointed to the brunette, "and that's Ginny," he said, pointing to the redhead girl, "Annnnd my name is Neville." He said, before taking a seat next to the red head.

"Where do you s'pose Ron and Harry are?" the Hermione girl inquired to Ginny. She shrugged, and Vera noticed a tint of blush on her cheeks.

"They weren't behind us at the train station... so I don't know." she said. Vera reached for her suitcase, and almost the exact moment she remembered leaving her book back in the other cabin, Ginny let out a girlish squeal.

"Is that a KNEAZLE?? Oh its so cute! What's its name?? Can I pet it??" she reached out to Lior before Vera had a chance to answer. The spoiled kitten took an immediate liking to Ginny, arching its back as she tickled her fingers down its spine. Vera felt as though her eye twitched. The girl wasn't obnoxious... something about the situation irked her a bit though.

"Its named Lior... do any of you know Dumbledore?" she asked. The three of them looked at her, before Hermione started laughing.

"Of course! He's our headmaster, and pretty much the greatest wizard of all time." Hermione answered, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Was being a know-it-all a tendency for her, or was everyone like that? Neville nodded in agreement with Hermione, before shoving a weird looking piece of chocolate in his mouth. He held up a card with a little picture of Dumbledore on it. The miniature Dumbledore winked at her.

"Oh... well he's who bought her for me... he came to my house and scared the lights out of my Mum, then offered to take me to Diagon Alley to get supplies. We saw her there and he bought it for me." she said, feeling so awkward the entire time. These kids seemed a bit innocent... boring, if you must. Back home, Vera never really made friends with people. Her Mom never let her go places unless it was with Judith, and most the time Judith and her friends ignored her. The kids at her private school had been friendly towards her, but not friendly enough to actually be nice. She didn't mind though. It's easier to think when you're all alone.

"So you're muggle-born? I had McGonagall come to my house when they invited me. Lucky you got Dumbledore instead." Hermione rolled her eyes. Ginny was ignoring the conversation, playing with Lior. The ugly cat in the corner stared at them coldly. Neville sat quietly, listening.

"Oh... that must've sucked..." Vera replied, trying to pretend like she knew who McGonagall was. Neville's toad leaped down on the floor, but he paid no mind to it. Vera took one look at it and pulled her knees up to her chin.

"What house do you think you're gonna be sorted into?" Ginny inquired, when the kitten finally got tired of her and made her way back to her owner. Lior pushed her head up against Vera's calve, purring up a storm.

"I don't know... I'm not really sure... I read 'Hogwarts, A History'... and I don't know. It seems like I'd be in Ravenclaw maybe... Maybe Slytherin." Neville stopped chewing when she said this, and Hermione looked at her, shocked.

"Slytherin?? No no no! You definitely won't be in there. You're muggle born! You don't want to, anyhow. Those people are evil. If you're lucky, you'll get into Gryffindor like us here!" Hermione said, with that same air of know-it-all to her. Ginny nodded, looking satisfied with herself.

"What's so bad about them...? The book said most of them were 'cunning' and stuff..." Vera asked, confused once again. Was everybody so prejudiced against each other here?

"Oh no! They aren't! They're all a bunch of stupid grunts who are against anybody not pureblooded. Most of their parents are in line with You-Know-Who, as will most of them be. Since you're muggle-born, they'll all hate you. You better HOPE you don't get put in there." she continued on. The know-it-all tone was grating up against Vera's nerves. She was worse than Malfoy.

"Oh... well... hope I get put into Gryffindor then, I guess?" Vera agreed, lying through her teeth. If everyone acted like this Hermione girl did, she _definitely_ did NOT want to be in that house.

"As well you should!" Hermione replied, satisfied. She reached for a lemon tart, and quieted down as she pulled out a random textbook from her supplies and began flipping through it, all the while munching.

Vera stared out the window, not knowing what else to say after. She concluded to herself that there was no real difference between muggles and wizards themselves, just that one knew magic and the other didn't. They both had their personality short-comings.

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Vera was woken up from the light nap that she didn't even know she had taken, by Neville, who she found staring at her face to face when she opened her eyes.

"We're almost at Hogwarts... you might wanna change out of your muggle-wear and put on your robes." he said, before leaving the cab and heading off to God knows where. She let out a groan and balled her hands into fists before stretching. The sudden movement woke Lior and the kitten mimicked Vera, only instead clawing her way across Vera's leg. Hermione and Ginny were already standing up, getting dressed. Outside it was already almost dark.

"Hermione says all the first years ride up to the school in little boats with the groundskeeper, Hagrid. Then we all line up inside the dining hall for the sorting ceremony, sit on a wooden stool one by one, and get the sorting hat placed on our heads. That yells out which house we're going to be in for the next seven years. After the ceremony, they have this big dinner..." Ginny broke off as they exited the train into a large crowd of students. Off in the distance, a large man was yelling out for all the first years, and little students were already starting to line up around him. They made the man seem unbelievably large, which Vera found out as they made their way over to him, was not an exaggeration. The man had long black hair, a large, black beard, and had to stand at least three meters tall. He seemed a bit grizzly... but at the same time a bit friendly.

All the first years were looking at each other, some a bit shy, others recognizing each other from previous outings. Vera stood there quietly, alone, while Ginny was off talking to some boy in the group.

After a few minutes when everybody was accounted for and there, they set of into the darkness, down a small narrow path. Pretty soon, the path opened up into a large clearing that was set on the edge of a giant black lake. Gaping in the distance across the lake stood a giant, starry castle sitting on a mountain top. The shore was decorated with many little boats, and as Hagrid gave them instructions for four to a boat, pretty soon they were off.

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The line of first years this year wasn't quite long, and as usual, they all stood before a wooden stool in the middle of the Great Hall, waiting their turn to find out their future destiny. An old, stuffy woman with a condescending look to her taut little face, introducing herself as Professor McGonagall, had met the group at the front entrance, and led them to a small corridor which was an add-on to what was presumably the Great Hall. McGonagall gave the first years a long winded speech about the Sorting Hat, house points, behaving and making friends. She said she'd return to them when the sorting process was ready to begin, and left them all there pondering in silence.

A few kids were talking, wondering what it would be like, but Ginny reassured them that the process was simple and easy, as Hermione had told her. Vera glanced around at each of the students, wondering if she was weird for not knowing which house she wanted to be in. Most the kids there already knew for sure which house they would be sorted in, a lot of them mentioning their families and how every single relative had been in the so-and-so house. Frankly, Vera felt a bit like a freak...

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"Diggle, Abbey!", Professor McGonagall called out, and a tiny little girl with tight black curls made her way up to the front of the hall and sat down nervously. Before the hat had a chance to touch her small scalp, the sorting hat barked out a loud,

"GRYFFINDOR!"

One of the four large tables erupted with a roar of cheers, and the girl bounced off happily towards the Gryffindor table, being greeted with open arms. Vera knew what was coming next.

"Ellis, Vera!" Professor McGonagall called out her name, and she could feel her stomach drop and her face pale. She wasn't sure why, but she felt as though she was probably the most nervous person in that entire hallway.

She made her way up to the wooden stool, and sat down, but not before taking a glance around. The Gryffindor table stared at her intently, and Vera spotted the Hermione girl from the train, staring at her with a grin on her face. She gave her a two thumbs up. Inside, Vera squirmed at the thought of being stuck with the girl for six years.

_'Jeez… please don't let me be stuck with another Judith...'_ her mind was racing as McGonagall dropped the hat onto her head. She shut her eyes, scared out of her wits, expecting the hat to scream out her house automatically like everybody else. She was quite wrong though.

_'Oh my! What have we here... Vera Ellis! Oh my...'_

Vera's eyes shot open in surprise. The hat was talking to her!

_'You're a very unique one in deed, my dear... don't like that Granger girl much though, do you? Well, that's not that big of a deal. You don't belong there anyways...'_

**"SLYTHERIN!"** the hat screamed out.

Vera let out a sigh of relief and got down, not noticing the look of shock that decorated Ginny, Neville, and Hermione's faces. The Slytherin table began clapping, but slowly broke off as the blonde Malfoy boy started whispering around the table, his face painted with the ugliest, most malicious look Vera had seen on anybody. Many of her newfound housemates stared at her, a few of their faces decorated in shock, but most of them in disgust.

As she made her way nervously towards the table, many of them shoved their chairs out of the way and moved towards the other end of the table, all glaring at her. She sat down quietly, feeling so incredibly awkward that she wanted to shrivel up into a ball.

She stared down at the table as the sorting ceremony went on, trying to ignore the whispering that broke out around the entire Great Hall, including the teacher's table. She didn't bother to glance up at them, and if she had, she would have noticed the most curious look which a certain head of house gave to Dumbledore, questioning the situation. Dumbledore merely held up a hand to silence any questions at the moment.

_"Later, Severus."_

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I'm feeling a bit indecisive about writing. I can't tell if it sucks or not. Please read and review :D?


	3. Professor Snape

AUTHORS NOTES:

Yep. Gonna try organizing my stories now (layout-wise, silly --)  
I've gotten so many ideas for this. Like... idk. I've got a million ideas, but the sad part is, they're taking place in her 6th year (ie, 7th book).  
Oh well.

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_'You're a very unique one in deed, my dear... don't like that Granger girl much though, do you? Well, that's not that big of a deal. You don't belong there anyways...'_

**"SLYTHERIN!"** the hat screamed out.

Vera let out a sigh of relief and got down, not noticing the look of shock that decorated Ginny, Neville, and Hermione's faces. The Slytherin table began clapping, but slowly broke off as the blonde Malfoy boy started whispering around the table, his face painted with the ugliest, most malicious look Vera had seen on anybody. Many of her newfound housemates stared at her, a few of their faces decorated in shock, but most of them in disgust.

As she made her way nervously towards the table, many of them shoved their chairs out of the way and moved towards the other end of the table, all glaring at her. She sat down quietly, feeling so incredibly awkward that she wanted to shrivel up into a ball.

She stared down at the table as the sorting ceremony went on, trying to ignore the whispering that broke out around the entire Great Hall, including the teacher's table. She didn't bother to glance up at them, and if she had, she would have noticed the most curious look which a certain head of house gave to Dumbledore, questioning the situation. Dumbledore merely held up a hand to silence any questions at the moment.

_"Later, Severus."_

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Vera made her way along with the rest of the first year Slytherins to the dungeons, and up into their dormitories. She had eaten in silence, with many of the Slytherins giving her stares of death (she was sure they couldn't kill her with just a stare... or could they?) as she chewed slowly. Such prejudice was something she had seen before, plenty of times before. But never before had she been the object of hatred, for something as stupid as your heritage. Did it really matter what your background was when it came to magic?

She felt as though she was a failure... somewhat. Nobody would talk to her. They only words that were spoken towards her were "filth", "disgusting", and one of the more harsher comments, "look at the stupid mudblood! Look at her! She's trying to ignore us! Can you believe that? Stupid little bitch won't last a year if my fathers got anything to do with it, Goyle. You wait until he finds out the sort of filth Dumbledore's tainting our house with...", being said by the blonde, pinched-faced Malfoy boy, as he walked off to the boy's dorms.

This was supposed to be fun... at least, that's what Dumbledore had said. What was she getting into?

The rest of the Slytherin girls in her dorm at least gave her the pity of ignoring her. She heard the tiniest of comments as they entered the room, about one of the girls asking to be moved, but that was as far as it went. As far.

She gave a sad huff as she changed into her sleepwear. Back at home, after Judith had done something particularly harsh, this would be the point where she would run to her bedroom and ignore everyone, alone, in her perfect little comfort zone with all her wonderful belongings, and her wonderful twin bed... the light yellow walls and butterfly ceiling fan. Instead, as her heart dropped at once last glance, the dark room was the most unfamiliar place she'd ever been in. There were three other girls in the room, to make it even worse. From the bedposts to the darkness beyond them, she was truly alone, in the most uncomfortable place in the whole world, wizard or muggle.

Vera's mind flashed back to that distant familiar swimming pool... the red curls bouncing antagonistically... Judith's cries for helps... before she drifted off into a somewhat restless sleep.

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The young misfit's eyes shot open in the darkness. She had most definitely heard something. Something... or someone, was rustling through her bags. Her heart began to race before she shot up, and if there was light inside her four post, the bright red burning of her cheeks would have been as noticeable as they felt. Her stomach dropped, and she all of a sudden felt sickly, knowing what was coming next.

She ripped back the bed curtains, only to find three unfriendly Slytherin girls sitting on the floor, digging through her suitcase, all the while giggling, trying to avoid going into hysterics. One girl had her wand out, and a small light was sparking from it, so they could review their loot. The black haired, boyish looking one out of the three was flipping through a little booklet, a familiar little booklet

that had been covered in stickers of muggle pop stars.

Her journal.

"Ahahahah! Look at this Angie! Listen!" she hushed the other girl, who was, in stark contrast to her bulky boyish self, a small, squeamish looking brunette. She cleared her voice quietly, in a mock manner, before reading the contents out loud in a squeaky obnoxious voice.

"_Hello._

_I know I haven't written anything in here in ages, but I had another one of those dreams._

_It was the same place, same time, and same thing all over again. I'm standing at _

_the poolside, staring into the deep end. One of Judith's friends is giggling with Judith, and they're looking at _—"

"WHY ARE YOU GOING THROUGH MY STUFF??" Vera let out an angered cry, expressing her true emotions for the first time the entire night. She had let her mask slip, and like a dam with a tiny crack in it, it had exploded. She ripped the covers off herself, before jumping off the bed and snatching the book out of the ones hand. All three of them stood up at once, each with a crossed look of disgust and evil across their faces.

"Well well well... the mudblood has awoken!" The boyish one swiftly snatched the book back out of Vera's hand, before shoving her backwards onto the bed angrily.

"GIVE ME IT BACK!" Vera screamed, pushing herself back up and scrambling for the journal. The boyish one tossed the book to the ugly brunette, before making a physical attack towards Vera.

For a split second, the thought crossed Vera's mind that she knew how to fight physically, better than these girls. These girls had been raised with magic, probably never having to do a bit of physical work at all. Vera had the upper hand. Vera could take the girl... or so she thought.

As the girl lunged at her, she went to swing but missed sorely, and to her dismay, the girl didn't. She socked Vera right on the cheek as hard as she could, which was pretty hard. Vera struggled to get up from off her bed where she had fallen backwards onto, but the girl tackled her and wrapped her hands in Vera's chest-length dark brown hair.

A little bit of a tug could have made Vera apologize for acting out towards her pureblooded captors, but no. The boy-girl was pissed, and showed it by ripping out a bit of Vera's hair. The pain gave the mudblood a quick adrenaline rush, and as the boy-girl went for another punch, Vera lifted her knees up and shoved the girl out, off of her, before bolting out the dorm entrance.

She was too horrified to look back to see if she was being followed, as she trampled her way down the stairs, but if she would have, she would have seen the girl at the entrance watching her, laughing her head off maniacally.

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She took a left down this hall. She took a right down another hall. Her footsteps echoed on the stone flooring, and she was sure she could recall hearing something about "breaking curfew" right before the feast, but she didn't care.

She needed Dumbledore. She needed to tell him she wanted to go home. She was through. This was too much. She much preferred being hated on by Judith than having her hair ripped out by an evil git...

Her hands trembled as she patted her skull down, feeling on the spot where the hair had been ripped. She pulled her fingers back, rubbed them together, and was sure to have felt something moist. Oh God. Surely they had a hair-growth spell... surely...

Her face was bright red, she was sure of it, and drenched in tears, snot, and what-have-you, but she didn't care. She needed to find Dumbledore... It occured to her that moment though that she had no clue where he would be —

She slammed to a halt, tears and anger and bloody scalp and all, as she ran straight into what felt like a padded, rigid block of wood, covered in material and breathing softly.

Oh shit.

"Care to explain what you're doing, out breaking curfew, miss?", the harshest, coldest toned voice Vera was sure she'd ever heard questioned her. She pulled back, stuttering out a cry of defeat, as she looked up at her captor. Surely she would be expelled now for breaking curfew, which should be a good thing... but her heart jumped out of its ribcage once again for the millionth time that night, as she looked up at the towering being she had stumbled upon.

"Lumos!" the mysterious voice muttered, and light sputtered from the tip of his

wand.

A pale, ghastly looking man glared down at her. His face was curtained with long black hair, and she was sure she had heard his name and seen his face already...

"P-Professor S-Snape!" she exclaimed. This was her head of house... the man in charge.

Oh Goddamnit though. He was a Slytherin too. One more loss for the mudblood.

She burst into a fresh load of tears, before sinking to the floor, and wrapping her arms around her knees.

Snape stared down at the crying girl, immediately having recognized her as the girl who had been sorted into his house... the muggle-born. He stood there for a brief moment, slightly irked at the sight of such a weak brat, feeling barely an ounce of pity for the little ingrate. An ounce was more than usual though...

"Miss. Stand up. Now. I will escort you back to your dorm." He said, the harshness out of his voice, but the cold, evil demeanor still underneath it all. "I said stand up now. Sitting here snivel - crying like this", his mind flicked back for a brief moment to his own childhood days, "Isn't making you look any more pitiful or sad. Its disgusting. Stand up. Now."

He stood there, expecting her to obey as most students. She did nothing close to obey though.

"I said get up. Now. You've already got a week's detention on your name. Do you want another one? I said, GET. UP!" he reached down to grab her by her night collar, and she let out another cry, this time of pain. He yanked his hand back at the feel of warm, moist wet as his hand had brushed the side of her head.

"Please... please let me see Dumbledore? Please... Please let me go to him... Please??" she cried out, looking up at him.

If he wasn't so used to keeping his face blank, he probably would have raised and eyebrow in question. Instead, he sneered, pseudo-angrily. This had to be one of the most pitiful sights he'd ever seen, as he held the wand in front of her face. The left side of her face was swollen, along with a black eye. Her face was moist with snot, spit, and most of all, tears. He moved his wand to where he had felt the wet spot on her scalp, and had to control himself when he saw the moist, almost-black blood soaking on a small patch of her head.

"Very well. Follow me." He said, before heading off, not waiting for her to stand up. She stumbled to her feet and ran after him.

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Ugh. So, the entire time I'm not writing, I'm thinking about how Sev will act... and when it finally comes to putting it onto the paper, I fail miserably. R&R. Bitch me out for making him such a failure. Please.


	4. An Allowance

AUTHORS NOTES:

Idk? I guess I'm pretty satisfied with myself on this whole idea. I've already written the ending also. There's a butt load of shockers throughout this thing, don't worry. A mudblood Slytherin is only the tip of the humongous iceberg. I hope I have the time/balls/mind to continue writing it. I'm even thinking of quitting my infamous past time of World of Warcraft, because I've finally found something to keep my attention. Woot! Guess I finally don't have to ask my doc for some adderal after all (Thanks Rowling). Acute case of Attention Deficit Disorder for the loss :(

One of the few pros of having a forgetful memory is that I can write a chapter, go to sleep, not remember what I wrote and reread it and view it as an outsider: D! At first I recall having made Snape not that mean, but after forgetting what I put, I reread it and noticed I made him a bit too horrible. God I talk a lot. Sorry :(

Anyways, enjoy? 

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"Please... please let me see Dumbledore? Please... Please let me go to him... Please??" she cried out, looking up at him.

If he wasn't so used to keeping his face blank, he probably would have risen and eyebrow in question. Instead, he sneered, pseudo-angrily. This had to be one of the most pitiful sights he'd ever seen, as he held the wand in front of her face. The left side of her face was swollen, along with a black eye. Her face was moist with snot, spit, and most of all, tears. He moved his wand to where he had felt the wet spot on her scalp, and had to control himself when he saw the moist, almost-black blood soaking on a small patch of her head.

"Very well. Follow me." He said, before heading off, not waiting for her to stand up. She stumbled to her feet and ran after him.

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After a brief, but confusing quick word exchange with a gargoyle, Vera's numb body followed Professor Snape into the office, as her mind trailed feebly behind in a sudden attack of stage fright. She hadn't spoken a word to Dumbledore since they'd gone to buy her supplies, much less in front of Professor Snape, and she wasn't sure how he'd react to her looking to so messy and upset. He didn't seem like the sort who would get offended by her asking to leave, but who knows.

"Albus, I found this one in the hallway sniveling about, looking for you." Professor Snape said apathetically to the Headmaster, who glanced up from his study. He slid his spectacles up his long nose, before folding his hands in front of himself, smiling the most serene smile.

"Vera! How are you doing my dear? Professor. Both of you sit! Sit!" He said cheerfully, inquiring at her being even though it was obvious how she was doing. Her slight smile did not reach her eyes. Snape paused, giving the Headmaster a questionably annoyed look, before doing as told. The man kept his composure, from what Vera could tell. She'd yet to see him smile, which was something she feared was consistent, like with a lot of Slytherins she had seen.

"Lemon drop?" Dumbledore asked in a slightly annoying serene tone. Snape shook his head and so did Vera. "That's a pretty nasty... sore you've got on your head there. Care to explain what happened?"

Vera looked taken aback, before replying, "Oh... well one of the girls in my dorm kinda got... rough." She stared at her lap, as Dumbledore raised an inquiring eyebrow. Snape showed no sign of sympathy, or emotion at all. If he could have though, it would have been a surprised hint of malice inside him towards whoever had done it. He knew everyone would be pissed over her being there, but physical violence on the first night? An all-time low, that's for sure. Whoever had done it would definitely be punished.

"I suppose that's where you also received the swollen face and shiner?" Dumbledore asked, more of stated though. Vera nodded. "Ahh... well I'm sure Professor Snape here will see to it that doesn't happen again. Won't you, Snape?" The Professor gave the slightest of nods, "Call Pomphrey, will you?" The Professor gave another nod, before leaving his chair.

"But... that's not what I came here for... I want to leave... I can't stay here any longer." Vera said in a rushed voice. Dumbledore inclined his neck, before chuckling. Her face began to grow red, and she could feel her tears wanting to crawl out of her eyes. She forbid it though and held them back, determined to not make herself look as stupid as she had earlier.

"Why do you suppose you want to leave? We've only just started the term, Vera." he replied calmly, in a fatherly sort of way. She bit her lip, knowing this whole idea had been a flop and now she'd have to stick with explaining through why.

"I don't belong here... everybody hates me. I got beat up by somebody I didn't know... I don't know anything about this world... I'm just gonna fail at all of it... I- I don't understand anything." she set her hand over her eyes, intent on not crying, but too embarrassed to be looked at. Snape glanced at her before sitting stoically back down in his seat, already beginning to grow exasperated with the night. He had merely been out on his rounds, and now the more he thought about it, the more appealing sleep was sounding. This, along with the Potter boy earlier… today had been quite the shitty day, full of stress. He was placing mental bets that tomorrow would be a lot worse.

Of course though, Snape didn't feel bad for the girl... but she did win over a little bit of pity which other students rarely received. He was trying to hardest not to compare himself, or another certain muggle-born from his past, to her...

"Vera. Look at me. You belong here. Our lists do not fail. You've got magical talent, more than most! More than most so called 'purebloods'. I know from the pure curiosity you showed me at Diagon Alley that you learn extremely fast, and that you'll adapt quite easily. We've got plenty of muggle-borns that come here each year, and on more than one occasion have I had one in a similar situation as yours, begging to go home. Before we start packing our bags though, can I ask one simple thing of you?" he stared at her intently. She slowly unshielded her eyes and made eye contact with him, his smaller, blue ones contrasting deeply with her huge brown ones. He smiled back at her as she nodded slightly.

"Give it a month. Just a month. If you end up hating it as much as you do now, then please, by all means, come see me. But if you just trust me, Vera, trust me, and attend for a month, I'm quite sure your opinion will change. Will you do this for me? Can you give yourself a month?" Dumbledore asked. She knew what he was doing. Her mother had done it to her before. As much as she knew he'd like to believe he was fooling her, she knew better. She should have known all adults acted the same. Oh well. It would be a lot easier just to stay and not cause any hassle.

"Ok... but those girls... what if I go back and they mess with me again? Can I please be moved out of Slytherin? Please?" she asked meekly. Those girls were probably having a field day through her stuff at this very moment, laughing at how utterly stupid she was. She took no mind that she might be insulting the house in front of the Slytherin head.

"We'll remove the ones who hurt you... and if anybody else would like to try anything, I will personally see to it that they are punished... severely." Snape interrupted, emphasizing on the last bit, though not looking down at the girl. He was staring at Dumbledore, and wanted to growl at the way the old man smiled sheepishly back. God forbid the little compassion he show at all, Dumbledore would make him feel stupid over it.

"That's very nice of you, Professor. But as for the changing of houses, I'm sorry my dear... but it cannot be done", replied Dumbledore, looking satisfied with himself. Vera shifted her glance from both of them, then to her lap sullenly. She knew he'd say that. It wasn't even worth inquiring why, because something told her she'd be setting herself up for even more disappointment.

"Alright then... thank you, I guess..." Vera started, but was interrupted by a bustling Madame Pomphrey, whose maternal fussing could be heard the moment she entered the office.

"Where is the girl? Ah yes! Oh dear... what happened? Never mind that, come with me. Come on! Come on now..." Madame Pomphrey bustled quickly, taking Vera's hand before leading her off towards the Hospital Wing. Vera took one last glance back at Snape and Dumbledore, the latter watching with a familiar serene smile on his face, before being fussed at, and dragged by Madame Pomphrey out the exit.

Dumbledore shifted his gaze back towards Severus, who had made no attempt to look up when Pomphrey had entered. The bloody woman was one of those nit-picky types who knew if something was wrong, emotionally or physically, just by a single glance. She had fussed at him when he had gone to fetch her, but all it took was a mere scowl for her to shutup.

"Is it alright to ask if I can leave now?" Severus asked blankly. Dumbledore shook his head.

"Not quite. We've got some things to discuss about Ms. Ellis. I take it you can recall your own childhood, and how fearful you were of your mates finding out about... your own heritage?" Dumbledore asked. Snape knew something to his dislike was about to be announced. He merely replied with a slight nod of his head.

"Good. So then you must understand at least a little bit of what she must being going through?" He asked again before continuing on, not giving Severus a chance to answer, "I want you to watch over her. She's never had much of a home, and I'd like it very much so if she would come to appreciate this one that she's just been given. I'm not going to dictate how you do it, but please, as a favor towards me-" he paused. Severus gave a mental snort. A favor for Dumbledore? How many other countless favors had he already given? "- please be there for her. I don't want to have many other nights like this one, with her running to me in tears. I don't want her growing dependant on me like Harry's unfortunately done already. I'm not saying to adopt her, or any of that rubbish, but please, show some sort of kindness to her. Don't let your kids eat her alive, at least."

The two sat there in silence, Dumbledore staring at Severus intently. A minute or two passed before the younger man changed the subject.

"Why was she sorted into my house?"

Dumbledore hesitated, giving himself time to think of an answer before replying, "I'm not quite sure. It is a bit baffling... I can't recall a time when there has ever been anything less than a half-blood in Slytherin. I will be looking into this, no doubt... but as of now, I've not really got much of an answer for you."

"I see... do you suppose she herself would know? A peculiar background, perhaps?" Snape replied. His face was still blank and stoic, but he was a bit confused as to why, also.

"No, I highly doubt she'd know why. She's already shown us that her knowledge on our world is very, very small. In time, I do believe we'll find out eventually. But until then, we're going to treat her as any other regular student." Dumbledore replied. He decided on not bringing up the few peculiar things he had already noticed about the young girl, agreeing with himself that things would eventually unfold. Severus didn't need to know anything either, just yet.

"I see... perhaps you could try asking the hat?" Severus nodded towards the somewhat rugged sorting hat sitting up on a higher shelf. It gave no sign of life at its mentioning. Dumbledore shook his head in disagreement.

"No... It wouldn't answer us. The hat rarely does anything outside of the only job it has."

"I see... do you suppose Pomphrey's done with the girl yet?" Snape questioned. He didn't have to ask to know he would have to be the one to escort her to the Slytherin common room. He'd already decided that early the next morning, he would call out his students and give a fair warning to anybody thinking of hurting the poor girl. The little brat who had hurt Ellis would be punished promptly. She would be threatened with expulsion if she decided to try anything else.

"I'm guessing so. Goodnight, Severus, and remember what I asked of you." Dumbledore said, the moment the younger man went to stand. He gave a silent acknowledgement before leaving the office for the night and heading off towards the hospital wing.

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The girl had her long, wavy, chocolate-colored hair back, intact, and her face was no longer swollen, though she still had a bit of a black eye. Pomphrey had just finished up with her before releasing her to Snape, giving him a concerned look as they were about to leave. He rolled his eyes at her before ushering Vera off silently.

"Thank you... Professor..." she muttered out as they headed down the corridor. The sudden breaking of silence made him glare down at her.

"Do not thank me, Ms. Ellis." he said sternly, leaving it at that. His cold demeanor silenced her for the rest of the way, and before long they were standing outside the Slytherin common room.

"Dumbledore has asked me to make sure my students do not do harm towards you, along with a few other things. I will say this once, and only once. If you feel the urge to run crying to him again, it would be wise of you to come to my office first. I would appreciate it if I were to be the first informed of any disturbances. As well as if you feel ostracized from your fellow student body, I will allow you to come to the potions room to study or do your homework. It would be very smart of you not to give word about your allowances though... for your sake." he said in a low, scarily blank voice. She had the feeling that he was not doing this on his own account.

"Thank you... sir."

"I said do not thank me. I will be giving an announcement in the common room in the morning to everybody. Do not bother coming down for it, unless you are looking for another chance to embarrass yourself." he replied in the same creepily blank voice, "Those girls will not harm you again."

She nodded, thanking him in her head, if she couldn't say it out loud. He turned swiftly and headed off, leaving her standing there.

"Password?"

"Pureblood."


	5. Cold, Not Caring

**AUTHORS NOTE**  
Alright, I'm starting to speed time up a bit. Tell me if it's too soon, or I'm going too fast. I'm gonna try to cover a lot of stuff in this chapter though. Keep in mind, this story will be going through pretty much all 7 of Vera's years... and yeah. If you want me to speed up so you can see some good ol' fashion Snape-lovin', you'll agree with me that I shouldn't focus too long on one moment (that was a joke. Snape doesn't give love, fool). I've found some minor errors in here which don't add up to the books, but I mean, hey, I'm not Rowling, and I'm only human (and we all know she isn't). Kudos to you if you can tell me where I've screwed up I've been reading the second book over, marking off pages I'd like to mention in here... so yeah. Trying to be accurate. I think within the next few chapters, a few of you might start to... understand the entire plot. Please, if it clicks in your wonderful little mind, don't talk about it if you decide to review. Instead, tune in every update and see if you're correct.

Song to listen to while reading:  
"Overture"- Patrick Wolf

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"Dumbledore has asked me to make sure my students do not do harm towards you, along with a few other things. I will say this once, and only once. If you feel the urge to run crying to him again, it would be wise of you to come to my office first. I would appreciate it if I were to be the first informed of any disturbances. As well as if you feel ostracized from your fellow student body, I will allow you to come to the potions room to study or do your homework. It would be very smart of you not to give word about your allowances though... for your sake." he said in a low, scarily blank voice. She had the feeling that he was not doing this on his own account.

"Thank you... sir."

"I said do not thank me. I will be giving an announcement in the common room in the morning to everybody. Do not bother coming down for it, unless you are looking for another chance to embarrass yourself." he replied in the same creepily blank voice, "Those girls will not harm you again."

She nodded, thanking him in her head, if she couldn't say it out loud. He turned swiftly and headed off, leaving her standing there.

"Password?"

"Pureblood."

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It was an early October morning, just as the temperature outside had slowly begun to drop. The leaves on the trees were beginning to die and fall from their homes, and it was almost molting time for everybody's favorite Whomping Willow. In the bitter darkness, one could make out an old Ford Anglia howling into the wind like the beast it was. Halloween was beginning growing closer, and the students could feel it in the air.

Vera sat up in the darkness of the Slytherin girl's room, her brow sweating and her heart racing. Her eyes flickered around the inside of her four post, and a wave of dizziness washed over her, before she fell back down onto her pillow. It had been another one of her dreams. The same and only one, actually. She was at the swimming pool as a younger girl. Her memories flickered to the moment the red haired girl started clawing the air, before sinking underneath the water like she was being pulled down. The same horrifying gurgling echoed in her mind as the girl struggled for her last breaths, and that same sliver of satisfaction raced in her mind at the girl's demise.

She ran a hand through her hair. Why did that same dream plague her almost every single night? The only dream that she ever could remember while waking up was that one, and it was getting to the point beyond scary. What was scarier was the fact that in the back of her mind, in some little compartment wrapped up in bloody sheets and bolted shut, as if trying to be hidden, was the teensy weensy feeling that... she still felt satisfied. Very little remorse hit her during that entire dilemma, though she made it out to seem otherwise in front of her sister and mother. Deep down she didn't care. In fact, she had been happy that she had rid herself of that splinter in her side.

Judith hadn't spoken to her for ages after the incident. Whether she blamed herself for egging the redhead on, thus resulting in the girl's death, Vera did not know. Whether she blamed Vera for the incident... Vera also did not know. It sure was the last time any of Judith's friends made an attempt to hassle her though.

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The halls echoed with the sound of everyday: students laughing, joking with friends, girls talking about boys, boys talking about quidditch. Lunchtime was pretty much awesome for anybody, a chance for a break, a chance to smile, a chance to relax from the everyday hassle of class. Even to the small brunette girl that was currently strolling though the dungeons, lunch was pretty damn nice.

Wait... pause there. Dungeons? Strolling? One might laugh at the irony of the entire scene, picturing someone actually taking a "stroll" through the dungeons. Strolling would be hinting towards happiness, which was not something one would generally associate with the word "potion".

It wasn't quite happiness though, more like the undertones of a mild chuckle. And not quite the dungeons, more like the Potions room.

Vera shuffled her way into the Potions room, not bothering to knock. Professor Snape was at his desk already, grading papers and scowling in silence at the stupidity of everybody. The sound of the door shutting broke him from his moody trance, and he paused his work to give Vera a slight nod of the head as she sat down in the middle of the classroom, pulling out a muggle book. She looked back up at him, not bothering to say anything. Nothing here was new about this scene. From the moment he told her she could come to his room, she had taken full advantage.

Partially because the next day after that one horrifying night, when she tried sitting at her own table in the great hall, a few Slytherin boys had hissed at her while the girls laughed, some few straggles shoving past her seat to sit down. Awkwardness tended to be something which Vera could ignore easily, but this had been one of those moments where everything was just too much. Not bothering to grab any food, she made her way down to the Potions room sullenly, and knowing where it was after a morning of class, she easily found it and peaked her head in the doorway. Professor Snape had glanced up at her with a blank face, before returning his attention towards his paperwork.

After that second day of Hogwarts, Vera never even bothered going to go to the Hall, and instead made a beeline straight to the dungeons, every single day.

Today though, for some reason, her body felt giddy and she felt a sense of restless good inside of her. Perhaps it could be because of the book she was reading, "Red Dragon", written by one of the few muggle authors she respected, Thomas Harris. She'd finally gotten her mother to purchase it for her and owl it to her. The thought of her mother figuring out an owl was quite unsettling. One might disagree that an 11 year old should be reading such a vulgar story, but Vera could argue otherwise.

No, that wasn't it...

Vera couldn't pin it, herself. It would be easier just to ignore the feeling of bliss and go back to reading about the _'Tooth Fairy'_.

Snape stared down at his papers with that ever-growing scowl on his face. Neville Longbottom... surely he'd have to take the boy out if he was going to be stuck grading such pointless papers for the next seven years. Ah, but only a minor fantasy for him...

The girl, Vera Ellis, had come into the room once again, as she had for the past month or so. It hadn't bothered him much, being in the point that he had told her she could. In fact, it would be easy to say that he didn't mind another being in the room at all in general, as long as it knew how to keep its mouth shut. Ellis wasn't as slow as the others, he had concluded with himself. In fact, she was actually rather... impressive. Her work had easily been the best so far out of all the first years that year, but that wasn't saying much. He couldn't recall a point where he had scowled at her papers, and if so, it would be mildly at the fact that he wasn't given the satisfaction of belittling her in his mind through her stupidity.

No, what had bothered him was small. Most teachers probably wouldn't notice it. But Severus wasn't most teachers. He caught it the first week or so. Whenever she would come to his room during lunch, it would be straight after class, never giving her a chance to stop by the Great Hall and pick up some food. Then, during dinner, when he would scan his eyes over his students, he noticed that she wouldn't be there. It's like she never came for meals. In the morning, she would wolf down some toast, maybe a bit of milk, before heading off towards her dorm. But that was it. He otherwise couldn't recall seeing her eat, and that, to his dismay, bothered him.

It would be simple to say he had taken up the job on teaching on the basis that Hogwarts had grown to be his home, his place of familiarity. In part, this was true. In part, he had other reasons. He sure couldn't say he enjoyed the thought of spending hours on end with little children, teaching them only to have them laugh at him behind his back. Though he had to admit it was rather... "nice" when a student or two clicked and understood, appreciating Potions for what it truly was. That, he could say, gave him a sense of accomplishment. He otherwise generally did not care about the feelings of his students though, and he was alright with that. Most of them were spoiled brats anyways.

But Vera Ellis had been the first of his students in quite a few years where he actually somewhat pitied her. It had only been a month, and already he was worried that she wasn't eating.

_What the bloody hell is getting into me??_

"Ellis." his voice sternly interrupted her reading, making her jump in surprise before looking up at him.

"Yes, sir?" she replied. Surely she couldn't be in trouble. She did nothing. He was probably going to kick her out now.

"Where is your food?" he demanded, to her shock. Well talk about unexpected questions...

"Um... I didn't bring any with me, sir." she replied. He had a weird, demanding look on his face which made her partially wanna laugh at the random question.

"Why not?"

"I didn't think it was that big of a deal to bother."

"I've noticed you do that a lot. Do you also do this at dinner?" he asked. She didn't really understand the point of this exchange. Up until that point he was a quiet, stoic man, who chose to ignore her most the time.

"I go to my room during dinner... so yes?" she replied. More than once she had heard students in the hallways complaining about him, calling him loads of mean words following their comments. She assumed he was probably as mean and uncaring as they said, just never bothered yelling at her.

"Why?"

"I don't like dealing with the rest of the Slytherins."

"Do they hassle you?" he inquired.

"Not quite. It's just incredibly awkward." she replied quietly.

"I see." he ended, not asking anymore questions. She sighed and looked back at her book. Truth was she was too embarrassed to go in there. Regardless of how hard she tried in schoolwork, she still endlessly felt like less compared to everybody else. Like she could never reach that level of fitting-in that she wanted. She noticed while walking down the hallways wearing the green "S" on her robes, some people from other houses would look at her and turn away in a weird manner. Then she would walk into her common room at the wrong moment when everybody was there busy laughing and talking, and everything would go quiet and they would stare at her hatefully.

Dumbledore's assumptions were wrong. She was still uncomfortable. She longed to go home, curled up in a ball at night thinking about her bedroom. It was against her personality to make a hassle out of things though, and so she just went on to study or read, trying to ignore everybody. She'd yet to make a single friend; even the kids on the train shunned her for being in Slytherin.

Moments passed, and just as she got back into a reading trance, Professor Snape's voice broke the silence, making her jump once again.

"You need to eat. I'll go call for the house elves to bring some food down here." he said sternly.

He couldn't believe he had succumbed to giving a damn.

"Thank you, sir." she replied. Her stomach wasn't quite hungry, but she knew she would be later, while skipping dinner.

"What did I tell you about that?" he replied, as he stood.

"Oh... I'm sorry, Professor." she apologized. It was awfully weird not saying thank you to him... and part of her raised an eyebrow in question.

"You have no reason to be sorry." he ended the conversation by heading back into an anonymous room behind his desk. Moments later he returned, a blank mask up again. A small popping sound caused Vera to look over, and on the desk next to her book sat a plate full of small, finely cut sandwiches, along with a cup of pumpkin juice. She couldn't hide the smile that slid into place on her lips. Professor Snape could tell she was smiling, but instead decided to scowl at the papers in case she thought she could be a smartass. Smartass was something very uncharacteristic for Vera Ellis though.

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It was midnight. Many would be surprised to find Dumbledore pacing his study in deep, concerned thought, but he was. It wasn't often that Dumbledore found a question which he couldn't answer, and this was one of them. This 'question'. This question was a living, breathing, human being. Right now she was probably sleeping in her bed, not a care in the world, not realizing how puzzling and significant she was to him.

Something inside Dumbledore was… irked. The hat never made mistakes. It had been around for how long? And not once had it ever messed up in its process. And not once had there ever been a muggle-born in the house of Slytherin.

Indeed, Dumbledore could feel it. He knew in himself that something was very peculiar about this situation. His only issue was that he could not figure out what.

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Tell me if things don't add up, k? Things start getting fun after this. Aw. Cool Some.


	6. Halloween

**AUTHORS NOTE:  
**  
Sorry to be getting this out a bit later than normal. I wrote it pretty much the day I put out the previous chapter, just never quite got around to rereading it and editing, and such.

Be surprised :D!

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It was midnight. Many would be surprised to find Dumbledore pacing his study in deep, concerned thought, but he was. It wasn't often that Dumbledore found a question which he couldn't answer, and this was one of them. This 'question'. This question was a living, breathing, human being. Right now she was probably sleeping in her bed, not a care in the world, not realizing how puzzling and significant she was to him.

Something inside Dumbledore was… irked. The hat never made mistakes. It had been around for how long? And not once had it ever messed up in its process. And not once had there ever been a muggle-born in the house of Slytherin. Indeed, Dumbledore could feel it. He knew in himself that something was very peculiar about this situation. His only issue was that he could not figure out what.

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A few more weeks passed by, and soon the month faded into a mischievous end called Halloween. Students around the castle were quite excited about the event, though Vera Ellis could not think of a reason why. The whole idea was a bit preposterous to her, like a lot of things, and it seemed a bit as though it were only an excuse for the Professors to get a little tipsy, and the students to get into things which they could normally not do. Frankly, Vera saw no point in it, thus no point in really getting excited over such an unimportant evening.

It was another one of those nights... Err, mornings. She'd woken up from the usual futile dream of the usual death of the usual girl. As much as it scared her to have such a repetitive sight in her mind over and over again, and to have that same horrible feeling of satisfaction inside, it was hard not to come to reckoning with the dream. The only thing about it which frightened her mildly, if even at all, these days was the fact that after awaking to the dream, it would be difficult, if not impossible to get back to sleep. The lack of sleep was taking a toll on her appearance, though not her schoolwork. Vera had endless time to perfect any work she was given. It's quite easy to do such tasks when you've got no distractions.

The room was once again spinning, and Vera's sight was blurring in and out. It felt as though she was looking at something through a glass of water. The side affects of the dream, such as the sweaty brow and deep inhales, had passed a week or two earlier. To put it easy, she felt as though it would wear off, eventually fading into a glint of her past life.

Lior the Kneazle sat on her chest, purring sensually, and using her claws to kneed Vera's collarbones as she pleased. Vera let out a chuckle when she noticed this, and the kitten nudged her chin with its nose, tasting her with its scratchy tongue. Lior had grown steadily over the past two months, and was just reaching that stage of adolescence where she could barely be called "kitten" anymore. She'd begun hiding underneath the bed, waiting for somebody to enter the room, and when somebody would, she'd jump out and attack their feet excitedly. On more than one occasion had Vera walked in to find one of the Slytherin girls on their bed's, with Lior lying on her back pawing their welcoming fingers. Upon seeing her they would give her a sneer and then lightly push the kitten away.

_Such odd people..._

The larger girl who had bullied Vera two months earlier was no longer in their rooms, and had instead been switched to another first year dorm. Vera assumed that whatever words had been exchanged between her and Professor Snape had obviously scared her enough into not speaking to, not even looking in Vera's general direction. She didn't feel bad that it had to be that way. The girl got what she deserved.

As for the other two who remained in the dorm, they never spoke a word to her. Other than the occasional stare they'd send her way, they never would talk to her, talk about her, and as far as Vera had determined, rarely spoke to others about her. Realization hit her one day when she noticed nobody had ever mentioned the details of her diary, and instead used the same old "mudblood" insult. That was the only thing she'd ever heard leave anybodies mouth. It made her laugh bitterly at such a repetitive insult. Had she not been a "mudblood", these two girls in her dorm, and maybe even the scary boy-girl, would have probably been her three best friends.

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An announcement had been made that morning during breakfast, as a reminder that there would festivities at dinner time located in the Great Hall. There would be decorations such as giant pumpkins, live bats, and dancing skeletons, along with the usual grand feast. Many students, as to be expected, were quite excited at the prospect of being able to relax and celebrate. Vera though, was torn.

Her first thought had been to head down to the dungeons, and enjoy herself a nice big helping of Thomas Harris, before heading back to bed quietly before the festivities were over, so as to not be noticed by the Slytherins who would be preoccupied. Rethinking her plan though, it occurred to her that Professor Snape probably wouldn't be in his classroom... he seemed like the sort of person who would worship Halloween.

Drat.

Alright. She'd decided she'd go to the dungeons and check first, to see if he would be there. If he reprimanded her (which she doubted he would), then she would head up to her dorm and read there. One might wonder why she should even bother with the potions room, and why not just spend all her time in her own room. Stupid answer as it may be, it was nice to have someone living and breathing in the room that would sit there quietly. Sitting in the Potions room gave her a minor feeling of a security blanket, like she could relax because the Professor was there, and had been commanded to pretty much keep her out of harms way. The Potions room was a safe haven.

It was that time. To Vera's dismay though, she'd gotten caught up in Defense Against the Dark Arts after being cornered by Professor Lockhart.

The gleaming, blonde haired man peered down at Vera through forget-me-not blue eyes, his lips pursed and his hands holding one of Vera's assignments which she had just turned in. Vera stared at the man's lips with blank eyes, in an attempt not to make eye contact. Was that... gloss that she spotted?

"Vera is it?" the Professor asked her, in a voluptuous tone. It was obvious to her that he already knew her name, and was just asking as a conversation starter. Vera nodded in reply, restraining herself from rolling her eyes.

"I've been looking at your work you've turned in... and I was quite surprised with my results." Vera continued to stare at his mouth while saying nothing, which made the situation somewhat awkward. Professor Lockhart cleared his throat, smiled a toothy grin, and continued on, "I'm a bit astounded at the work you've managed to produce. Its one step short of being... perfect."

Vera continued to stare. Once again, the teacher gave an awkward throat-clear, his smile still as bright as ever, before continuing.

"It's quite amazing I must say... you know, you remind me a bit of myself at that age... I was a bit more of a socialite though, you know, though, that's only to be expected." Lockhart paused. The young girl had to struggle from sneering at him in disgust at his nerve. The moment turned awkward for the third time, and as Professor Lockhart went to clear her throat out of habit again, Vera interrupted.

"Are you alright, Professor?" The man looked taken aback, before chuckling.

"Just a slight cough. I'm glad you care so much about your teachers though!" he said, more so inferring to himself. "I've noticed you don't really socialize much... you've been put into the Slytherin house, and you're muggle-born, correct?" He asked inquiringly, his tone giving off a slight undertone of sneer at the word _Slytherin_. Vera didn't know whether to be surprised at this change of subject, or a bit offended at the question. She nodded her head.

"I myself was in Hufflepuff, you know. Wonderful house. Truly. Since coming to teach here, I've received so many fan letters and such from both students and teachers alike! You have read my book, _Magical Me_, correct?" he paused a brief moment, before a thought hit him, "Here... here's a copy for you!" he pulled out a copy from the stack behind him, his winking face and dazzling grin staring back, complete with a little glittery, purple, loopy signature. She stared at the book like it would burn her, but took it anyways and placed it in her bag, mentally slapping herself over and over again.

"Have you had a chance to meet Harry Potter yet?" he started up again. She shook her head. She'd heard about him though in the hallways, how some people hated him and others adored him... she'd seen him trailing along with Granger and a red haired boy once, and immediately took a disliking of him. Surely anybody who hung out with such a detestable little girl like that probably had issues Vera would struggle to avoid.

"He's a very charming boy. He sees me as a sort of role model, you know. Such a tragic history, yet such a promising future. Likes the camera, I'll tell you that much." The teacher replied, "I bet I could get you his autograph, if you'd like that. Might cheer you up a bit, I think. You do look a bit... sullen. What do you say?"

"No, thank you." she replied shortly. She didn't care to meet him, and didn't appreciate the underhanded insult he had just thrown her way. Professor Lockhart's smile remained, though his eye twitched for a fleeting second. She'd obviously just done some damage. Before he had a chance to say anything back though, she started again, "I really should be heading off towards the feast, if you don't mind. I've missed a bit of it already" He stared at her, still holding that toothy grin, though looking somewhat sinister now.

"Alright then. Have fun with your _friends_." he replied, before turning away back towards his pile of books. Vera narrowed her eyes before heading off.

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After missing a few minutes of the feast, she decided to follow her plan, and slowly made her way down stone steps into the dungeons. The place had an unusual chill to it; it felt a bit colder than it had normally been (which was saying a lot). She raised an eyebrow in question when she heard voices and an awkward, unnatural screeching sound playing in the distance. Was there a celebration going on down here too? Did Professor Snape decide to (she chuckled inwardly) throw a bash...?

She followed the voices and... screeching, and the louder they got, the chillier it grew, to the point where she began rubbing her arms to warm herself up. Whatever was going on, whatever celebration was happening, was incredibly creepy. She turned down a passage way until right around the corner she could hear the music and voices echoing perfectly. Turning the corner, her eyes widened at the sight of the long, thin, jet-black tapers glowing bright blue which decorated the corridor. How queer...

By now the atmosphere felt like a freezer, but curiosity got the best of Vera, and before long she found herself walking towards the entrance, where most the sound was going on. She could hear a few distinct voices, one of them which she recognized immediately as Hermione Granger.

"No - honestly - didn't I just say how nice Myrtle's looking?"

"Oh, yeah -"

"She did -"

"Don't lie to me." the wailing sound of a squeaky voiced girl echoed through the corridors, "D'you think I don't know what people call me behind my back? Fat Myrtle! Ugly Myrtle! Miserable, moaning, moping Myrtle!"

"You've forgotten pimply," a sinister whisper echoed right after. The girl, Myrtle (whoever that was... Vera felt some sympathy for her, but her voice was awfully obnoxious), let out an angry wail, and before long the wailing got closer , and a pale, clear figure sped out of the entrance, and passed Vera, ignoring her on its way. It was obviously a ghost, and it didn't shock Vera to see her. There were plenty of ghosts that occupied Hogwarts. That shock had worn off the first week of school.

"PIMPLY, PIMPLY!" Another transparent figure floated behind in an antagonistic manner, also ignoring Vera. They turned the corner and fled off down the passageway. Vera watched in amazement. Ghosts that actually made fun of each other... how cruel was the wizarding world? She'd probably be called a mudblood after death, too.

She decided that she'd wasted enough time, and didn't feel like being spotted by Granger, nor anybody else that may have happened to be there. Instead, she turned back the other way she'd come, and eventually the Potions room showed its ugly little head. As she spotted it, Professor Snape was just leaving, glancing around at his surroundings before locking the door. He turned rigidly, before catching site of Vera standing there.

"Ellis. I won't be in my classroom tonight. I suggest you head up to the feast, and _enjoy_ yourself..." he said in his stern, yet non-malicious manner that he normally held with her, "I have some matters to attend to with the Headmaster. Follow me. I'll see you out the dungeons."

She was careful not to let her disappointment show on her face, and instead nodded.

"I guessed as much. I was just coming to see if you'd be there." she replied, and followed him as he walked swiftly, his robes billowing out behind him in a bat-like fashion. Vera noticed this, and the first thought that came to her was how much she despised people who laughed at him behind his back. He was their teacher, a respectively intelligent one at that too, and yet because he didn't give out autographs with a dazzling smile (A/N:...lol), he was held in contempt by most the students. He gave no reply to her.

They turned down a passageway, and at the very same moment Vera heard a voice. It was a quiet, malicious, one, and she was so startled that it nearly made her drop her belongings:

"..._rip...tear...kill_..."

She came to a halt, her eyes wide, and she glanced over her shoulder, to see if anybody was there. In confusion, she squinted in the distance, straining to hear the voice again.

"Professor... did you hear that??" she asked, her usually blank, steady tone, quivering. Whatever had said that had said it out of pure, utter evil, and she had a feeling it was near her... Snape stopped, meters ahead, just realizing that the student was far back behind.

"Excuse me, Ellis? Did I hear-"

"Shush! Listen..." her ears strained, and her heart sunk. Her face was paling in the dimly lit dungeon, and Professor Snape was glaring at her.

" ..._sooo hungry... for so long_..."

Professor Snape raised his eyebrow in question, before his lips tightened in annoyance. Vera knew she looked like an idiot, but whatever was talking was scaring the shit out of her. She beckoned him over with her hand, holding her finger to her lips.

"..._kill...time to kill_..."

The voice faded off, upwards, and she looked at Professor Snape with horrified eyes. Where the bloody hell was it coming from... was there another ghost that she didn't know about??

"Ellis. I do not appreciate you holding me up like this. Hearing voices means you need to go to Madame Pomphrey's. I, on the other hand, have a meeting to attend." he said, somewhat annoyed, before starting off.

"Professor!" she cried after him, "Something bad is going to happen... something horrible is going to happen... did you not hear that voice? It's going to kill someone!" she said, her nerves racing furiously. Professor Snape stopped and stared back at her. Her face was contorted and she felt as if she would cry if he did nothing to help. But what could he do?

"The voice... it went... upwards! It said it was hungry... and that it was going to kill something!" she let out, her own straining in fear. Before waiting for a reaction from him, she raced ahead, towards the stairway; "It moved upstairs... it's going to kill someone, sir!!" she called back at him. He stared at her departing figure angrily, yet somewhat concerned that somebody actually might be offed... couldn't necessarily have that on his record. He followed behind her, agreeing with himself that he would make sure she would no longer be visiting his classrooms if this was all a joke.

Vera reached the scene all too late, with half the school in a large crowd, standing quietly, staring at the wall in front of them. Across the wall in large, shimmering words:

**"THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE."  
**(A/N: zomg the evil bold of DOOM!)

Underneath it, a cat hung upside down, looking remarkably... dead. Vera stared in shock as Professor Snape showed up, and began shoving his way to the front. Amidst the silence, Draco Malfoy's malicious voice broke it, echoing loudly, "Enemies of the Heir, beware! You'll be next, Mudbloods!"

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This didn't come out as grand as I hoped it would be (sorry bout that!). I think my wordings a bit off. It seems... awkward. Anyways, yeah. This was a significant chapter, as you can tell. Don't let your assumptions fool you though, because you may be wrong (in the long run) ;D Just sayin'.


	7. Paranoid

**AUTHORS NOTE**

Wow! So I'm FINALLY effing updating in like, forever. To tell you the truth, I had this thing written about halfway through, and I just never got around to finishing it x) I hope my old readers are still reading though, as I'm still writing. I'm starting to descend back into that gloomy bored mood that I held during the summer, so its been easier to write. Also, my writers block has finally kinda poofed a little bit. I don't want to jinx myself though and not be able to put out another chapter for a million more years.

Enjoy!

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"The voice... it went... upward! It said it was hungry... and that it was going to kill something!" she let out, her own straining in fear. Before waiting for a reaction from him, she raced ahead, toward the stairway; "It moved upstairs... it's going to kill someone, sir!!" she called back at him. He stared at her departing figure angrily, yet somewhat concerned that somebody actually might be offed... couldn't necessarily have that on his record. He followed behind her, agreeing with himself that he would make sure she would no longer be visiting his classrooms if this was all a joke.

Vera reached the scene all too late, with half the school in a large crowd, standing quietly, staring at the wall in front of them. Across the wall in large, shimmering words:

"THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE."

Underneath it, a cat hung upside down, looking remarkably... dead. Vera stared in shock as Professor Snape showed up, and began shoving his way to the front. Amid the silence, Draco Malfoy's malicious voice broke it, echoing loudly, "Enemies of the Heir, beware! You'll be next, Mudbloods!"

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Two full days had passed since the terrible occurrence that Halloween. Many rumors were already spreading in around hushed voices that by "enemies of the heir", that surely meant all the muggle-borns. The heir being, of course, the heir of Slytherin. Nobody really could figure out what was meant by "Chamber of Secrets", and few teachers had given out any insight on it. A few people had already gone as far as saying that the Chamber of Secrets was actually a hidden room inside of Hogwarts, but thats the farthest clue anybody could think up.

Vera, on the other hand, could not describe her feelings toward the whole idea. She hadn't told anyone (and who would listen?) about the strange voice she had heard, right before the entire incident. How it had wanted to kill... Since the occurrence though, most of the Slytherins had taken it upon themselves to make it sure to her that she would surely be next, and this entire thing was her fault. It was surely her, the mudblood in Slytherin, who probably pissed off Salazar's corpse himself into waking up from the dead and opening the Chamber. The children in her house chose not to speak to her out of fear of Snape, but instead, made in quite clear and obvious in a loud, clear voice while speaking to their peers about where she would end up. Just like that caretakers kitty kitty. Hopefully, as one Slytherin girl had remarked, in a permanent state of petrification.

It mortified Vera to no end, that she would surely be next... she'd heard the voice. What did that mean? It was probably speaking to **her**, but ended up coming upon the cat before it could reach her. She'd probably find herself walking down a lone passageway one afternoon, probably heading through the dungeons toward the Potions room, and BAM! She'd be a goner.

She'd decided wholly that she would no longer go to the Potions room, unless she spotted Professor Snape before hand, and could walk with him. But wait! What if he was also a mud- oh. Scratch that. He was the head of Slytherin. Surely he was a pureblood. She doubted the- the monster, the thing, whatever it was that got the cat, would attack in front of one of its precious purebloods. She'd be safe with him.

The only problem was that everyday before lunch, she couldn't catch Professor Snape! She'd be in the crowd, looking for him, wouldn't find him, and would be forced to go to lunch. She chose to sit on the end, where nobody spoke to her, where everybody sat at least 5 seats away. They still hissed at her though, regardless of how ostracized she was made. Some of them made in their point to stare at her the entire time, making it even more obvious they were talking about her by pointing and laughing smugly. This was something she ignored though, and she did it well. It didn't matter if they hated her, she was not going to get caught walking down the corridors alone, the perfect item for the monster. No, no.

It had been two days though since the incident. Vera had taken to eating dinner too, scared of being caught alone walking to her dormitory. She stared down at her plate, and switched her gaze to the book which sat on her lap. It was another Thomas Harris novel, this time being "Black Sunday". She'd be done with her Harris collection pretty soon, and would have to switch over to her Stephen King's. Ahh... sweet horror.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up in acknowledgment to somebody, almost immediately. Someone was watching her. Not just the malicious gazes being thrown from her fellow Slytherins, but somebody was staring at her, and she could, eerily enough, feel it. She put a thumb in her book and looked up, looking around for that person. Turning, her eyes met Professor Snape's, and he was staring at her blankly. She raised an eyebrow, before he motioned her to him with his finger and mouthed the words,

_'After dinner'_

She nodded and looked back down at her novel.

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Dinner was over, and the kids had already begun filing out, heading off to their individual dorms. Vera stayed behind, looking out for Professor Snape. Surely he would assume that she was not walking through the dungeons at night, with a mudblood-killing fiend on the loose. Hell no.

Sure enough though, there he stood, right by the teacher's table, speaking quickly in a hushed voice to Dumbledore. Dumbledore was staring at him, a look of amusement on his face, nodding. She made her way over quickly, and just as she stopped there, Snape finished and turned to her. Dumbledore turned also, and at the sight of her, a glowing grin broke out upon his face.

"Ahh yes, Vera! Professor Snape has just informed me of a... peculiar incident that involved you. Mind coming with us to discuss it in my office?" he asked. She knew she couldn't say no. It was just him being polite. Instead, she nodded, not smiling back.

"Good, good. Off we go then! Goodnight Minerva!" he called off to Vera's haggish Transfiguration teacher, Professor McGonagall. The teacher waved back, and Dumbledore began his way off toward the office, with both Snape and Vera following behind.

They soon arrived in front of the gargoyles, who jumped aside immediately at Dumbledore's presence. Up the rotating stairs they went, and into Dumbledore's office they sat.

"Lemon drop?" the headmaster offered to both Professor Snape and Vera. Both shook their heads.

"Very well then, I guess... Vera, care to explain what happened the other night?" he immediately dove into the subject. Vera's eyes flickered up to Dumbledore's, who's own twinkled back, then flickered to Snape's figure which sat rigidly, staring straight ahead. She cleared her voice.

"Oh- um... No- I mean, I-I don't know." she said. This had to be one of the most awkward moments her life. How does one explain to others that one hears voices right before something bad happens?

"You don't know?" Dumbledore questioned, his eyebrow raising slightly at the question. Vera could feel Snape looking over at her now, but she chose not to look back in embarrassment.

"Well, yes sir, I do know. I mean... I don't. I don't know how to explain it without sounding... stupid, sir." she replied. Her hands began to fidget in her lap.

"Stupid, Vera? You will never sound stupid as long as you're in my office. Just go on. Tell me what happened, how it happened. It will not make you any less in my eyes." Dumbledore assured. She looked up at him again, and this time he was smiling, with his finger tips placed against each other and his elbows on the desk. She smiled back meekly, though it was a small one.

"Well, I thought I would go to... the Potions room, instead of the feast, just to- you know, see if Professor Snape was there. I was gonna stay there and read my book if he was, and if he wasn't, I was gonna go back up to my dorm. When I got there, he was leaving, so I couldn't stay there, so we walked back toward the stairs to leave the dungeons, and then... all of a sudden, I heard like... this voice. It was very quiet, and it sounded very.. very... like it was evil or something..." she paused, looking over at Professor Snape, who was back to staring straight ahead again. She took a deep breath.

"And what did the voice say?" Dumbledore inquired, beckoning her to go on.

"It was saying it was hungry, and that it was going to kill... I didn't know where it was coming from, and I thought Professor Snape heard it, but he didn't... after it said it was going to kill, it kind of faded away, and I got really scared because I thought it was going to... to..." she broke off, wanting to slap herself in the face at how nutters this entire thing sounded.

"Thought it was going to what?" Dumbledore prodded, once again. She shut her eyes and inhaled.

"I thought... I got scared, and I thought it was going to come for me. I thought it was coming to kill me, the moment Professor Snape said he didn't hear the voice. Then we went upstairs, and there were all the students, and that big message with the dead cat..." she broke off, hesitant to ask the question which had been drilled into her mind by her fellow students. "...Is it going to kill mudbloods, sir? By enemies... they mean us mudbloods, right, sir??" she'd been living in fear after hearing what the Malfoy boy had yelled out, not to mention all the rumors going around. She needed the truth, if she was going to have to constantly be checking over her shoulder forever. Dumbledore said nothing for a few moments, but gave Professor Snape a weird, unchartable look. After a brief pause, Professor Snape started.

"Do not call yourself a mudblood, Ellis. Do not let me hear that word come out of your mouth again. There is no such thing as a _mudblood_. Your ability depends on the skill, and your mind. Not your blood. Do not think of yourself as a mudblood, and do not think of children such as Mr. Malfoy, as purebloods. There are only talented witches, and untalented witches. Blood. Has. Nothing. To. Do. With. It." the Potions teacher let off, somewhat angrily, before tightening his lips and turning his attention back to Dumbledore. His hands, which were clasped loosely in front of him, were slightly strained. Vera stared at him meekly, in case he decided to surprise her with another outburst.

"Professor Snape is absolutely correct, dear. You yourself are one of the most talented witch's in your year, as far as your teachers have described. Do not think of yourself as less just because of what some foolish boy has said to you." Dumbledore agreed. She nodded, staring at her lap, blushing. It was easier to agree and just shut your mouth than question. He didn't even answer what she had asked.

"Do you have any idea as to why you heard the voice?" Dumbledore asked, more of answered it himself though. She shook her head, and he nodded, "Yes, I doubted that you would. This is such a peculiar situation, I think..." he broke off in thought. Snape's eyes flickered to Dumbledore, wanting him to continue, but not showing it. Vera had her eyes on Snape, watching him watch Dumbledore. An awkward silence reared its ugly head, and for a brief moment, Vera wanted to nudge Dumbledore into continuing his sentence, but just as she started to, he spoke.

"I've got a few ideas, though none of them are quite confirmable. As for now though, Vera, it is getting rather late. Though it's not yet curfew yet, so I suggest you be hurrying off to bed. I will call you back in the future though. If you have any idea or thoughts on the subject that seem to come up, we can discuss them at a later time... until then though, Professor Snape will escort you back." Snape's lips tightened slightly in annoyance. The man, though a genius he may be, did have a rather... unorthodox way of dealing with things sometimes.

"Professor, come back when you are through, alright? We have a few things to discuss here.", Dumbledore added, as Snape and Vera stood. The teacher nodded in compliance, not showing his annoyed feelings, though was pretty sure Dumbledore was picking up on them.

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Vera's mind was reeling as she made her way to her dorm. They had accomplished absolutely nothing there, except make her feel more insecure about being a mudblood.

_Obviously_ there was something to worry about, if it wasn't even curfew yet and Dumbledore was having the Professor escort her back. She got the feeling that Dumbledore knew alot more than he let on, but that would be a big and obvious DUH in her corner. Snape and him were probably chatting up the situation over crumpets and tea, while she headed toward her cold and uncaring dormitory.

As she entered, the two of her roommates were sitting on the bed discussing something about some third year boy they had seen around Hogwarts.

_"No, Angela. Don't be silly. He's got a giant bloody gap in his teeth!" the tiny, stringy blonde girl cried out in defiance._

_"Come on. He can get that fixed you know. Have you seen the way he leans when he's waiting for his friends?? Leans like a god - he does, I swear on it! He's utterly gorgeous!"_

They ignored her as she made her way to the one single bathroom in the dorm.

She sighed as she began stripping her robes off. The giant mirror in front of her gawked back her own depressing reflection of a naked, malnourished little girl. Her brown curls hung down, in a giant wad of mess. Her knobby elbows and knobby knees stood out the most, not to mention her poor excuse for breasts. Puberty had hit a year ago, and yet somehow she had none of the side effects that one's body would take on in a normal situation.

This fact alone didn't bother her as much as the thought of her actually feeling self conscious about her looks did. Apparently in the wizarding world, looks came second to lineage, so even if she was ugly, skinny and undergrown, she was still a mudblood, which was a much bigger issue to worry about. Why should she give a fuck about how she looked?

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That night as Snape lay, rigid as a block in his bed in his quarters, he stared at the ceiling in a contemplating fashion, going over the things him and Dumbledore had discussed. There wasn't much Dumbledore had let on about his theory, but Severus knew he had more on his mind, and was just holding back in the typical Dumbledore way.

_"She was obviously not just hallucinating, Severus. There was something there, and whether or not it intended on her hearing its thoughts, she did. Witches at this age don't just imagine stuff..." his voice broke off as he paced, while Severus sat nonchalantly in the plump chair._

He sighed, rolling over and jamming his eyes shut in annoyance at - at whatever. He was feeling quite bothered with Dumbledore and his secretiveness. There was obviously a bit more to this girl than what was seen and Dumbledore knew quite a bit of it.

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Not quite liking how this turned out. Not much happened here, I know, big disappointment. I don't want to give TOO much away though, as I don't want people guessing correctly as of yet. Oh, and UBER KUDOS to whoever can guess my reference to "My So-Called Life" ;o


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